ONE Championship Inks Massive TV Deal With TNT

It was only a matter of time before ONE Championship was airing in the United States.

According to ESPN.com, sources informed them that ONE has signed a three-year television deal with Turner Sports. 

The event will feature 24 events airing live on TNT beginning next year. The TV goes into effect on January 1. It will also include other Turner digital platforms such as B/R Live. Other programming such as a reality show is supposedly in the works as well.

As ONE continues to grow in its native Asia, an outlet in the United States became clearly necessary. 

ONE has made extreme waves in the world of mixed martial arts by signing former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez and rising star Sage Northcutt. Johnson was acquired in a first-of-its-kind trade for former ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren. Now, they have a platform to reach the Western Hemisphere.

Will they become a direct competitor to the UFC soon?